his/her side of the salamander broiler and place it inside. A trained server will remove it from the other side when it is ready to present to customers.
A salamander broiler is positioned above the oven, within reach of the chef/cook as he/she prepares the dish. For preparation of meat or fish dishes, a shallow metal plate is often used in the salamander, then placed on a wooden or other heat-resistant holder for serving. Certain cookware such as soup bowls can usually withstand the heat from the salamander's upper burners, so they may go directly from kitchen to table.
The salamander can be defined as overfired, meaning that the heat source, which may be gas or infrared elements, comes from above. A kitchen grill, on the other hand, is considered underfired, due to the fact that it receives heat from below.
There are often larger overfired broilers in a commercial kitchen, but many including both the pros and the home cook prefer the controlled action of a smaller salamander broiler. Of course a larger broiler can produce much larger quantities of food, but, the appearance and presentation are often improved by using the salamander broiler. Occasionally, a kitchen production line will also have an even more specialized piece of equipment called a cheese melter. The salamander broiler is considered more of a multi-purpose workhorse than a cheese melter. |
